1. Field
The disclosure relates to the field of tire building, and more particularly to the phase during which profiled components are assembled on a rotary receiving surface.
More specifically, the disclosure relates to the device for cutting and transferring a strip of profiled element from a means for letting off a length of strip from a continuous strip and cutting it to length up to the complete laying-down of this length of strip on a receiving surface, generally a rotary one.
2. Description of Related Art
Devices for cutting to length are widespread in the tire industry and are known as servicers. They often form an integral part of the tire building device and collaborate with one or more receiving surfaces facing which they are positioned at a specific moment in the tire building cycle.
The cutting tool positioned upstream of the servicer allows a length of strip to be detached from a continuous strip fed to the tire building device. This length of strip may be formed of a rubber profiled element, of a reinforcing element itself made up of textile or metal reinforcing threads coated in rubber and arranged parallel to one another making a given angle with the longitudinal direction of the length of strip, or even a preassembly of a rubber profiled element with a reinforcing strip.
The problem facing those skilled in the art is that of controlling the deformation of the front and rear edges of the length of strip, which deformations occur at the moment of cutting when the elastic tensions are released.
Numerous devices for correcting these deformations so that the front and rear edges have profiles that can be butted together during the operation of assembling the two edges on the receiving surface have been proposed.
Thus, among the more notable elements of the prior art, publication U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,104 proposes realigning the edges using orientable arms. Publication EP 649 730 or even publication EP 1 447 210 proposes measuring the deformations of the front edge and adapting the deformation of the rear edge accordingly by altering the transfer speed between input belts or by acting directly on the rear edge using orientable grippers.
All of these publications therefore aim to act on the profile of the edges after the length of strip has been detached and the elastic stresses released.
Nevertheless, it is found that the geometric characteristics of the products prior to cutting, particularly when considering products containing reinforcing threads, are relatively well controlled and meet the required tolerances. In other words, the elastic stresses mentioned hereinabove are trapped within the product which remains stable as long as it is not cut.